Pope mulls Italy quake visit as survivors dig in
AMATRICE, Italy: Pope Francis said Sunday he wanted to visit some of the Italian villages devastated by this week’s earthquake, as survivors and rescue workers dug in for the long haul with colder weather approaching.
Francis said the Catholic Church shared the “suffering” of the victims of the quake that claimed nearly 300 lives and pledged: “As soon as possible, I hope to come and see you.”
The Argentine pontiff told thousands of worshippers gathered for the Angelus prayer in Rome’s Saint Peter’s square he had a “spiritual closeness” to residents of the mountain villages in a remote area straddling the Umbria, Marche and Lazio regions.
Meanwhile, as hope faded of finding anyone else alive and the search for bodies nearly complete, rescue workers and survivors turned their attention to a bleak future as temperatures start to fall.
“We’re getting ready for winter. Given what’s happened in other quakes, we’re going to spend winter here,” said Emidio Chiappini from the devastated village of Sant’Angelo.
The government has pledged to sup- port immediate reconstruction and Chiappini said he hoped authorities would send pre-fabricated housing to stave off the frost that will soon descend on the mountainous region.
The Italian government has freed up around 60 million euros ($67 million) in immediate aid, added to which will be approximately 10 million euros in donations.
“Basically, we know we’re going to be here for three or four months. That’s not official, but we have got the equipment for that,” said a volunteer for the civil protection agency who gave his name as Nicola.
According to Italian media, the govern- ment is poised to appoint a special commissioner to oversee the huge reconstruction operation, which is being hampered by aftershocks — more than 1,800 since the earthquake struck on Wednesday.